National Tourism Guide
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NATIONAL TOURISM GUIDE WETLANDS OF SUCUMBIOS PROVINCE DEGREE INVESTIGATION TO GET THE PROFESSIONAL TITLE OF NATIONAL GUIDE BY JORGE ALEJANDRO LUNA MUÑOZ QUITO-ECUADOR JUNE 2017 1 WETLANDS OF SUCUMBIOS PROVINCE BY JORGE ALEJANDRO LUNA MUÑOZ APPROVED BY: …………………………… ……………………………. LIC. RAUL MIRANDA MSG. LADY RAMIREZ TUTOR CAREER COORDINADOR …………………………. ..…………………………. MSG. SYLVIA HERRERA LIC. CESAR CACUANGO PROFESSIONAL GUIDE ENGLISH TEACHER 2 THANKS A special thanks to my friends Mrs. and Mr. Ann & Dann Forter, for their continued support that encouraged me to complete this process. I also express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Richard Parsons who enabled me to grow as professional. 3 DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my family and a special feeling of gratitude to my loving parents, whose words have always pushed me to find my goals. 4 WETLANDS OF SUCUMBIOS PROVINCE SUMMARY In the elaboration of this work “Wetlands of the Sucumbios Province” Limoncocha Biological Reserve was choosing as the most representative wetlands because its high biodiversity, its proximity to by the Cuyabeno Reserve, one of the most visited National Parks in the Amazon Region and also has the presence of indigenous groups in the area, considering all the factors, Limoncocha has a great potential to become a good destination focus concerning the importance of Wetlands. Due to importance of conservation and ecotourism in Ecuador, wetlands represent the one of the most interesting touristic destinations in the country to offer an experience to the visitor, which promotes the sustainable use of natural resources managed by the communities that live in the surroundings of this attraction. In the case of Limoncocha Biological Reserve, the main attraction is the lagoon, which provides the opportunity to practice different activities such as birdwatching, wildlife spotting (with the highlight of black caiman) sport fishing, hikes, general explanation of flora and fauna and the cultural introduction to the traditions and customs of the groups that live within the Reserve. The journey covers 3 provinces: Pichincha, Napo, Sucumbíos, and provides the chance to explore different habitats like Paramo Forest, Temperate Forest, Cloud Forest, Foothills, Amazon Rain Forest will be crossed. All the different ranges of altitude that we will cross are great for finding: orchids, monkeys, caimans, tarantulas, hummingbirds, toucans, flowers, great possibilities for spectacled bears, woolly monkeys, black caimans, Andean cock – of- the- Rock, Hoatzin, etc. This trip will help us to understand the importance of the different ecosystems enjoying the beauty of natural and cultural resources. 5 INTRODUCTION According is the Ramsar Convention… which is the international treaty for conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Wetlands are one of the ecosystems with the highest biological productivity, water sources and biological diversity and are indispensable because of the countless benefits or “ecosystem services” that they provide, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials, and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation1. Studies demonstrates that wetland areas and quality continue to decline in most regions of the world. As a result, the ecosystem services that wetlands provide to people are compromised. From 1991, Ecuador was included within the countries that have this kind of ecosystems in order to improve the effort of conservation and the proper management of the wetlands. Ecuador currently has 18 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 290,815 hectares; one of the most remarkable one is Limoncocha2. Limoncocha Biological Reserve is located between the Coca and Aguarico Rivers on the northern shore of the Napo River in the province of Sucumbíos, it was declared a protected area on September 23rd, 1985 and boasts 18.000 hectares of tropical rainforest. Perhaps the most extraordinary natural attractions of Limoncocha, is the lagoon itself, which has an area of approximately 370 hectares of water surface. Species inventories estimate the existence of 144 bird species, 55 mammal species, 39 reptile species, 53 amphibian species, and 93 fish species3. The studies that have been done in the area indicate the presence of three ecosystems: Aquatic ecosystem, comprised of rivers and lagoons, Flooded areas, which are found on the banks of rivers and lagoons; Tropical Rainforest or call “terra firme forest” In addition to its biological richness, there is an important cultural heritage, currently a few Shuar and Quichua communities live within the boundaries of the reserve and sustain themselves mainly on agriculture, but they have started to establish various forms of ecotourism in order to generate income in a sustainable way. 1 Ramsar, The Importance of Wetlands, Review: 8 mayo 2017 in: http://www.ramsar.org/es/acerca-de/la- importancia-de-los-humedales 2Ramsar , Ecuador, Referido de URL: http://www.ramsar.org/wetland/ecuador 3 Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas, Reserva Biologica Limoncocha, Review: 8 mayo 2017 in: http://areasprotegidas.ambiente.gob.ec/en/areas-protegidas/limoncocha-biological-reserve 6 DEFINITION A is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil… Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification, flood control, carbon sink and shoreline stability; wetlands are also considered one of the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life4. Wetlands occur naturally on every continent except Antarctica, the largest one including the Amazon River basin, the West Siberian Plain, and the Pantanal in South America. The water found in wetlands can be freshwater, brackish, or saltwater. The main wetland types include swamps, marshes, bogs, and fens; and sub-types like mangrove, pocosin, and varzea. Wetlands have unique characteristics: they are generally distinguished from other water bodies or landforms based on their water level and on the types of plants that live within them. Specifically, wetlands are characterized as having a water table that stands at or near the land surface for a long enough period each year to support aquatic plants5. A more concise definition is a community composed of hydric soil and hydrophyte6. 4 Wetland ecology: principles and conservation (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 497. ISBN 978-0521519403. Review: 8 mayo 2017: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetland / Keddy, Paul A. (2010). 5 Wetland Definition "Glossary of Terms". Carpinteria Valley Water District. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-23 6 Wetland characteristics,"US EPA". Retrieved 2011-09-25. 8Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas, Reserva Biologica Limoncocha, Geografia/ Review: 8 mayo 2017: http://areasprotegidas.ambiente.gob.ec/en/areas- protegidas/limoncocha-biological-reserve 7 JUSTIFICATION In recent years, both, ecotourism and comunitary tourism have increased positively, in order to enjoy the destinations, visitors also want to contribute to the development of projects that are run by local people, and they have found that sustainable activities can easily replace the extractive activities such as hunting, fishing, logging and so on. The profile of our visitors in this case is a group of Fench people with the average age of 40-60 years old, a typical European enjoys outdoor activities, and since the area offers a variety of attractions with different levels of difficulty, it has been chosen as the best alternative to know a unique ecosystem including all the facilities. It has been considered the best option because it takes less time to get to the Lodge, and it was designed to enjoy different types of ecosystems through the East Slope of Andes with several stops before to arriving at the main attraction “Limoncocha Biological Reserve” in route pertinent explanations will be given concerting the attractions and human issues they will be encountered OBJETIVES GENERAL OBJETIVE To make people realize that we have a great country to travel. Having good conservation areas, guides, transportation services, lodging; the experience will be unique. To introduce visitors to the richness of the biodiversity of a place (Limoncocha Biodiversity Reserve) that has been catalogued as an importante area for conservation or a global scale, in order to strengthen tourism as a community initiative. SPECIFIC OBJETIVE With this work, to demonstrate to the authorities of the University UDET, the student Jorge Luna´s capacity to guide with professionalism all regions in Ecuador. To get the Title of National Guide, after to showing that we did a good tour, with the Tutor Lic. Raul Miranda, taking the best places its consideration. To consider wetlands as an important attraction for visitors with the purpose of a special travel experience. 8 INVESTIGATION METHODOLOGY FIELD RESEARCH A previous visit was done in order to obtain and verify the facilities of the different services and check the conditions of the attractions along the route. DOCUMENTS There are some documents published about the Reserve especially tourist offers for foreigners, and but there are also some studies about